Kenny Chesney Missing 2018 CMA Awards Due to ‘Death in the Family’

Kenny Chesney received multiple 2018 CMA Awards nominations and was scheduled to perform during the annual awards show on Wednesday night (Nov. 14) -- but he won't be able to make the ceremony after all. The Country Music Association announced late Wednesday afternoon that the country superstar will miss the show due to a death in his family.

"CMA Musical Event of the Year winner and Entertainer of the Year nominee @KennyChesney will be unable to appear on tonight's telecast due to a death in the family," the CMA tweeted around 4PM ET on Wednesday. No further details were available as of publication time.

Early Wednesday morning, Chesney and David Lee Murphy learned that they had won the 2018 CMA for Musical Event of the Year, for their collaboration "Everything's Gonna Be Alright." Good Morning America hosts Lara Spencer and Adam Rippon revealed the news from the top of Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row, a bar on Broadway in Nashville. Chesney and Murphy were also going to perform together during the awards show, according to a press release.

“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” was written by Murphy, Chris Stevens and Jimmy Yeary, and appears on Murphy's No Zip Code album. The song is Murphy's first No. 1 since 1995's "Dust on the Bottle," and this is Murphy's first CMA Awards win.